DAY ONE
Alton Towers!!! Hard to believe it finally arrived! Seems like we've been preparing for it for months! I woke up with still some packing to do - wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be thanks to my ever so dependable schedule I made myself the night before. It looked something like this:
7:30 - Hit the snooze
7:45 - Wake Up
7:50 - Clean Room
8:00 - Finish Packing
8:15 - Get Ready
8:30 - Eat Breakfast
etc. . .
The whole gang showed up (19 of us in all) and we left at 10am sharp - didn't forget anything! I was in charge of all the money and paperwork - the file with everything in it never left my side the whole trip!
We took the ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan, Scotland. First time I have been on a legit ferry - and might I say this one was GORGEOUS! Like a mini cruise ship. Very modern and artistic. Loved it! Well I loved it until we left the dock that is. . . started to get a wee bit sick. Half way through the water journey I took some of the youth who were also seasick up to the sun deck to get some cool fresh air (actually wasn't that cold). We spent the rest of the trip up there - I dedicated myself to rubbing backs and playing with hair to help them and keep my focus off my turning stomach. When I got to the point where I was getting desperate, a welcoming sight of land appeared ahead in the near distance - Hello Scotland!! The whole ferry ride took about 135 minutes.
I started my trip in the mini bus - but moved to the car after the ferry ride to help Alan navigate the trip and to help settle my queasy stomach. Some of the best moments of our 3 day trip happened in that car.
Maggie, one of the girls proved to be the most entertaining. Her most famous line - which provided us with countless hours of teasing was "I'm not sick, I'm nauseous." Another funny moment involving Mags had to do with the Titanic. We were talking alot about it (2012 is a big year for Belfast as it's the 100th year anniversary of the great ship. We just opened the Titanic Belfast Museum and with the movie coming back out to theatres in 3D it's become a highly talked about subject lately) She had since fallen asleep in the back seat. The car window was open and what song happened to come on from the ipod shuffle? Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" . . . I had to capture the moment on camera as it was too priceless to pass up. . .
At one point while driving we noticed the mini bus pulling to the side of the road. We weren't sure really why and busted a U-turn to check it out. This was what we found. . .
I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go! Haha there was one time we had to stop at a house for LacyJo, she had to knock on the door and asked to use their toilet! The part of Scotland we drove through was beautiful but not very populated. The countryside reminded me alot of Northern Ireland. I loved looking out the window at the Scottish mountains behind rolling green hills and seeing all of the new baby lambs scattered throughout the sheep. (Sigh) Spring is officially here ♥
We FINALLY arrived at our hotel and after dividing up the rooms (all of us girls were in one room; Jacs, L-j, Maggie, Rebecca, & Amy) We ordered some dominoes. MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm so good! After dinner, the majority of the kids left to go next door to buy munchies with Jacs, while I stayed and played Guess Who and Scrabble with a couple of the boys.
The girls polished nails upstairs after - such a stereotypical thing to do. . . but we loved it! And then we told stories until we fell asleep! (I told the girls about "First Urge" for all of you back home who have heard me tell it before - Thanks to Veronica who shared it with my youth group when I was a teen!)
DAY TWO
Waking up should've been the easiest thing for my girls. . . but they acted as though it was a school day! We were all supposed to meet downstairs at 8am for breakfast. Aimee and Rebecca got up and started getting ready around 7:30am but these two didn't wake up until 7:50 when I pulled off their blankets and took their pillows!
After waiting for everyone to arrive downstairs we finally met up, ate breakfast, and then headed out. We made it to the theme park about half an hour before opening - unfortunately it took those of us in the car that long (and some) to park and catch the metro rail to the entrance (Ha! So much for getting there early!)
We decided it would be best to stick together as much as possible This actually happened for the
most part except at the very beginning when a couple of the guys ran on ahead. We met back up with them about an hour later and discovered they had collected a few things along the way. . .
The park was full of people but being the Easter holiday it wasn't near as bad as I thought it'd be and we were able to ride on all of the major roller coasters!
First ride we went on was Rita. I had convinced a couple of the kids that it was the easiest roller coaster in the park (uhh but I had never been on it before so it was a pure lie to get everyone to go) Worked for the most part and it proved to be a very exhilarating ride as you're catapulted from 0-100km in 2.5 seconds!
The next ride was Th13teen - based off the horror movie. Longest line we had to wait in all day. Since it was still early I don't think anyone minded the wait too much.
It was at this point where we all regrouped. While waiting for everyone to arrive I took two of the kids to the Willy Wonka ride. Nothing too extreme but it did smell like chocolate (I started to realize just how hungry I was getting!)
We were kinda walking aimlessly around the park for a bit and that's when we came across some camera men (Having lived in LA for 4 years I've learned that this means a celebrity is nearby) Sure enough, Peter Andre was at the rock wall with his two kids while a small camera crew was recording footage for his TV show. I never even knew who the guy was until I moved to the UK (He is Rachel Kirk's celebrity crush). Saw him on TV and in some magazines - nice guy so I've heard but oh my word in person he is really attractive. Just sayin . . .
I spent the next few moments taking pics and talking to Rach on the phone - ha I was pure paparazzi - or maybe just a creeper lol!
After celebrity stalking I met up with some who had ran on ahead to the Oblivion. Supposedly the freakiest ride at Alton Towers. A coaster with a terrifying vertical drop.To be honest I was a bit disappointed. The drop was definitely intense and I felt my heart fall - but that was the extint of the ride. I was expecting a full length ride after and there wasn't. Still the drop was pretty amazing!
We made our way from there to Burger King. Being a McDonald's fan myself - I usually don't care too much for BK, however I was famished at this point and I couldn't wait for that burger and fries!
Everything closes much earlier here in the UK and amusement parks are no exception. After lunch we hurried on to our last two rides as the park closes at 5:30 and we were already reaching 4pm! It was a long walk across the park. We passed the "Towers" of Alton Towers along the way. I love how so many of the attractions in the UK are built around old buildings that are already in existence! (We noticed this at the Belfast zoo as well)
We finally made it to "Air" thanks to the navigating skills of the Americans. . .
I LOVED this ride! It was very similar to the Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles. The only difference is you are literally feet away from hitting things as you are 'flying' close to the ground, under footpaths and gliding narrowly past objects such as trees and rocks. Haha I rode this one next to Alan and might I mention he was screaming like a little girl! Hilarious!
As our day was coming to a close we had one last major coaster to conquer! This being the last ride we forced nearly everybody to go on it!
The Nemesis was Europe’s first ever inverted roller coaster. It takes you cork-screwing, spinning and racing through the park at breakneck speeds, reaching G-forces greater than a space shuttle launch. By far my favorite ride here! And a perfect one to finish with!
We all headed home exhausted and hungry for dinner, but extremely happy. What a wonderful day! (It helped too that aside from a few gusts of chilly wind and an occasional light sprinkle the day was gorgeous!)
Domino's two for Tuesday's provided us with dinner.
Some of the kids attempted pranks (unsuccessfully thank God as I continue to have flashbacks from my second night in NI and the toothpaste incident) Thankfully no one was toothpasted, no eyebrows were shaved, and nothing got broken on this trip!
DAY THREE
Got to sleep in this morning! We found out at 11:00 that we needed to be out of our hotel rooms by 11:30. Ha so thus began Julie's morning wake up to the girls! Rebecca and Aimee were easy. . . but the blankets and pillows had to come off L-j and Maggie once again and they literally had less than 10 minutes to pack and dress before heading downstairs!
We headed out around noon to a nearby mall. Our ferry wasn't departing until 7:30pm so we had some time to kill. Unfortunately, thanks to a couple wrong turns it took us a bit longer to get to the mall and by the time we parked we only had an allotted 30mins to chill.
It was nice getting out stretching my legs one last time before the long drive home. And Alan got me a coffee - which sadly I spilled about half of it on me, Jacs, and the Disney floor. . . Oh how often I embarrass myself :)
By the time we all got back in the car (and bus) we were heading out much later than planned (letting 19 people loose in a mall with only 30 mins to spare probably wasn't the smartest idea!). After driving for about 10 minutes, Alan and I decided to do the math. Because the bus was set at a maximum speed of 62 mph and we hadn't had lunch yet (not to mention dinner) plus adding all of the bathroom stops we would no doubtingly have to take we realized it would be impossible for us to make the 7:30 ferry! We than began looking for a Plan B.
PLAN B: Pay a £20 transfer fee and take the 11:30pm ferry.
Adding the 4 extra hours was great. No need to rush now! Since the towns we were driving through were pretty desolate we had to come up with other ways to pass the time.
MY NEWEST ADDICTION: McDonald's cheeseburgers. Just the regular come like its made classic cheeseburger. I have to get one on a weekly basis (I know I know killing myself quicker with each bite).
So all throughout the trip I've been bugging Alan to stop at one. ALSO: They are doing the Monopoly game. My favorite! I've been collecting the properties and its still so weird not knowing any of them by name! After leaving the mall we began to look for a rest stop with food when I saw the glorious sign saying "MCDONALD'S NEXT EXIT" Glory hallelujah!!!
We spent quite awhile here as we were trying to eliminate some of our extra time. So to entertain myself I taught some of the kids straw tricks. (The Caterpillar: Push the paper down your straw until about halfway on the straw. Then do the same with the other side until it is all scrunched together. Slide off the paper onto the table so it looks somewhat like a white caterpillar. Let a drop of your drink (water or sprite works best) fall onto it and watch the caterpillar grow! Quacker: Rip one side of the paper off your straw. On the other end rip part so the straw can come through but leave the wrapper still intact. Fold the newly made flap to touch the straw - like a lid - and suck in slightly from the opposing side of the straw. This will create the perfect sound of a duck) We had alot of fun doing this until four kids had the "Quacker" going and other customers were no longer happy with me :) Oh well - it was a great time killer!
The ferry ride home was much less crowded thanks to the late hour and I was able to lie down on a couch and enjoy the film playing (The Adventures of TinTin - Loved it way more than I thought I would!)
We finally pulled into the church around 2am!! Home at last! A quick goodbye to those on the bus and that was me off to get some well needed rest!
We had so much fun! Can't wait until Youth Weekend! This time I will be prepared with my own pranks and paybacks :) Gonna be brill!
xo
-J
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